Jawdropper! I’ve developed a bit of a soft-spot for the humble J-range of late. I always thought that one, suitably souped up, would make a cracking small-frame racer, much the same way that Vespa did with their Super Sprint 90SS (best Vespa ever? As a Lambretta guy, I’m probably unqualified to judge, but it’s got to be top 3, right?). Anyway. I digress. What would a fast J-Range look like? Probably something like the little belter below.
Owned by Richard Oswald, long-time Lambretta fan, current owner of five Lammies, member of the Wisemen SC, and registrar of the LCGB, this is no ordinary J.
Paint wise, Richard has chosen an Arthur Francis inspired look – which works really well on the J. And it goes a bit too – under the panels – in an Indian GP200 casing there are more upgraded parts than you can shake a stick at – if you want the full list, check out the post on The Stamford Scooter Centre page – here. Incidentally – The Stamford Scooter Centre are currently running a Covid19 Random Scooter Feature – and are on day 126 (as I type this) of posting pics and descriptions of some fantastic scoots. Worth a scroll through! Anyway, I’ve digressed again. The scooter was put together by Phil at Torch Engineering at Castleford. Phil is retired, but still dabbles in classic cars and scooters for himself and a select few mates. He’s also a talented Northern Soul DJ, and runs Kippax Soul Club.
We all love our 2-strokes – but they’re not the most environmentally friendly of machines. Many people think the future of transportation is electric. With the likes of VW, BMW and even Jaguar joining Tesla in bringing electric vehicles to market, is the writing on the wall for fossil fuels? After all – when even Milan – the home of the Lambretta – bans classic scooters – you have to start taking these things seriously.
Retrospective will be offering the conversion as a DIY kit, with prices starting at £2,485. They will fit it for you for around £500. You can even add it as an option if you’re having a scooter restored. You’ll also have to factor in the cost of the batteries – not included in the kit price, and they run to £850. You can choose to have just the one battery, or improve your range by adding another one or more.
The future is bright. The future is retro.
This is probably one of the nicest J50’s out there*… A J 50 with a Casa 80 c upgrade. Restored to a high standard by Medway scooters with £7000 spent on her, including sourcing rare original accessories and having them restored to as new condition.
If you fancy something a bit prettier, and more, er, Italian, for about the same money (£100 cheaper actually!) There’s this J50 Delux. It’s got 50 less cc’s but it is in what’s probably my favourite Lambretta colour, Mela Verde (or Apple Green). You’ll need to be a bit handy with the spanners, because although it seems to be complete, it’s in bits. 
When asked what the ideal number of Lambrettas to own is, the usual answer is ‘one more than I’ve got’. Spanish-based ex-pat Colin Bunn taken that concept and run with it.
lambrettista.net 